Alpha+Beta Centauri: These two bright stars have a special significance for star watchers of the Southern Sky. They are also called the "Pointers" since they point into the direction of the Southern Cross.
Alpha Centauri, also called Rigel Centaurus, in the upper right corner actually is a binary star of somewhat the same size and spectral class as our sun (G2V). It is also one of the closest stars to the sun with a distance of 4.4 LY.
Beta Centauri, also called Agena, in the lower left corner is a blue star in a distance of approx. 550 LY and about 2000 times brighter than our sun.

Have also a look at the Hi-Res version to study the beautiful dense starfield with various Open Clusters between the two stars.